Monday May 16, 2022 “(Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) I Can’t Help Myself” The Four Tops
I was talking to some friendly strangers in a restaurant the other evening and, no surprise to anyone who has come this far with song of the day, the conversation eventually came to music and these folks knew their stuff, so it was a fun talk. But each of them had their limitations in that they focused on a particular time period or a particular genre and if we slipped away from either of those they were out of the conversation.
So it occurred to me that we can all be categorized by the music that we are drawn to. Who needs a resume when you can simply ask someone to list their top ten favorite songs and you will know everything about them.
Although there are so many more than ten songs that I would consider as favorites, we will be listening to my top ten (six actually) favorite songs…at least favorites this week because they will likely change next week. So analyze away.
“I Can’t Help Myself” was the first number one hit for The Four Tops spending two weeks at the top of the US Billboard Chart and an amazing nine weeks at the top of the R&B chart. The group however had paid their dues. They were formed in 1953 but they didn't get a Motown deal until nearly ten years later.
At Motown the Four Tops started out as backup singers for the Supremes. Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs’ claims Jackie Wilson (“Lonely Teardrops” and more) as a cousin and his brother Joe was a member of The Contours (“Do You Love Me”). Levi Stubbs also lent his baritone voice to the carnivorous plant named Audrey II, in the movie Little Shop of Horrors. One of the songs he sang in the movie, “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space” was nominated for an Oscar.
The Four Tops would go on to have twenty four top forty hits, seven top ten singles, sell more than fifty million records, are members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have two Grammys, are included in Billboard’s Greatest Artists of All Time, are in the R&B Hall of Fame and have songs included on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs of All Time.
In addition to being one of the Four Tops, Obie Benson was the co-writer of the iconic Marvin Gaye hit “What’s Going On,” Formed in high school, the personnel of the Four Tops remained consistent until 2008 when Levi Stubbs passed away.
"I Can't Help Myself" was such a great song that the Four Tops had the audacity to follow it with a near identical melody just with different lyrics and in case you weren’t able to figure it out they called it the “The Same Old Song”.
Stay safe and well…and if there’s a rock & roll heaven, these guys are headlining there.